For the past year, as we have been having a conversation about reasonable accommodation, we’ve been reminded of the kinds of discrimination that the Muslim community here faces.
We’ve become increasingly aware, that even though there are a few Muslims who count themselves as members or friends of our community, we realize that most of us know few Muslims personally, and have little in-depth understanding of the complex faith tradition that is Islam.
At the same time, we went through the process of defining our mission last year. There was much talk of reaching out to other faiths, of learning more about traditions beyond our Jewish and Christian roots. This was something that our Social and Environmental Concerns Committee took into consideration as they planned their focus to Take Action in the World this year. When the committee met in the fall of 2008, they chose the topic “Our Muslim Neighbours.”
Over the course of 2009, we'll be welcoming members of the Muslim community to join us in worship and to work with us in our social justice efforts.
